As we pivot from anti-AAPI hate to greater representation for our community, we are delighted to present LAAUNCH’s exclusive interview with Reddit Chief Operating Officer (and Ming and Wah’s cousin) Jen Wong.

Jen, your resume reads like our parent's dream come true: Bachelors in Applied Mathematics from Yale, Masters in Engineering from Stanford, Harvard Business School...and then McKinsey, Global Head of Business at AOL, Chief Business Officer at Popsugar, President of Digital and Chief Operating Officer Time, Inc, and now Chief Operating Officer at one of the world's most visited websites, Reddit.

In April 2018 when you first joined Reddit, this online network of communities based on users’ interests had an almost $2 billion valuation. Now, almost three years under your leadership, Reddit boasts a $6 billion valuation with 50 million daily users! How did you enter an already successful business and supercharge it for growth?

I joined Reddit because I knew how important it has become to the internet, how large the user base was, and how early it was in its monetization.

The strategy was to invest in growing users by evolving the experience (mobile app as a first class experience) and cleaning up tech debt (Reddit is 15 years old), building out a native advertising platform to support auction-based marketplace, and building internal processes to hire, retain, and grow the best talent.

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Recently, Reddit helped fuel a movement among a community of traders to short squeeze GameStop and to take on Wall Street. What do you think Reddit’s role is in the future with regards to leveling the playing field in the financial markets?

The arc of the internet since its inception has been to open and democratize access to information, goods, and markets. Reddit is part of that evolution and is a community platform that empowers people to connect with communities who share their interests and passions, and those passionate communities drive action.

Information on Reddit is public and allows people to have equal access. They can share and evaluate ideas on everything from how to navigate unemployment during COVID to investments. That information and knowledge can allow people to participate in systems they normally could not - including in financial markets.

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What are the top areas in tech that we should all be tracking these days? What keeps you up at night? Crypto? Privacy? Voice Social Networks? Creation Tools?

I think there is more to be excited about than fearful of and I am optimistic about the future.

There will be accelerated secular changes after this pandemic. During this time, from what I have seen on Reddit, people have found a lot of comfort in live interactions with strangers - a gathering to watch a band, have a conversation, or create some art. Barriers to jumping right into a live video or audio or chat have gone away.

ECommerce is going to accelerate and the path from discovery to purchase is changing rapidly. People want to study more brands and get a lot of information (even ask questions) to real people with real experience with a real product or service before buying something more considered online.

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As part of Reddit and as a digital media insider, you are literally smack dab in the middle of America and the world's technological zeitgeist. Are there any specific things as a powerful business and thought leader you think you personally and you at Reddit can do to help Asian Americans right now?

In the early part of my career, I did not have access to Asian American business networks for advice or support. Partly, I don’t think the AA community had organized within companies and some companies didn’t think Asians needed employee resource groups. These networks, inside and outside companies, can be really significant sources of support, career development, and opportunity.  AA groups are becoming increasingly vibrant and I sponsor RAN (Reddit Asian Network) at Reddit, which we just launched last year. I also encourage and support much more public celebration of achievements and outstanding individuals in the community to increase overall visibility.

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In your many years in the tech world, have you witnessed or experienced discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, etc?

I have not directly experienced discrimination in the tech world. I believe the challenge for the industry is diversity and inclusion, particularly the latter where there is on-going work to be done to create a space, voice, and career path for people of every background.

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How do you retain the people who make it successful and view diversity on your team?

Reddit is the most human company on the planet and we are a better product and business because our company reflects the diversity of the real world. Over the past year we have done a good job of building a really solid foundation for our diversity and inclusion work - with vibrant ERGs (Employee Resource Group), more professional training, fun celebrations of diversity and peer to peer education. While we continue to see positive trends in recruitment and retention across all groups, we still strive to do better.

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What advice do you have for other Asian Americans in tech seeking more senior positions in their companies?

GO GET IT!

Find a senior supporter and have them be your guide. When I start a job, I think of it as the beginning of the journey, not the finish line to get the offer and start. Much of my success is due to people willing to give me air cover to do difficult things I have never done before, and to create those opportunities for me to demonstrate new skills.

Know where you stand. Get a lot of feedback on how you are perceived - not only your performance, but your runway, your impact, and what you still have to develop.

Focus on learning and impact. I wouldn’t focus on comp and titles, they will come. Be intentional about what you are going to learn and what you are known for.

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Where were your parents raised and how have they impacted your world view and personal modus operandi?

My parents are refugees of a sort - Chinese born, but fled to Taiwan during the revolution. It never quite became home to them. They both came to the US for graduate school and stayed. I often wondered how they had such conviction to leave their families behind when air travel was not yet so ubiquitous.

They are both readers and lifelong learners. They are also doers and like to be productive but in different ways. My mother is very operational, extremely organized and methodical. My father is creative, handy with home tasks, and very curious about everything. They raised me to be very self-sufficient and not dependent on anyone but myself.

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What language(s) were spoken at home growing up, and what language(s) are spoken at your home now?

Growing up mainly English with some Mandarin with extended family and in restaurants. Now it’s mainly English with some Mandarin, German and Spanish.

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How would you and/or your wife describe your parenting style: tiger, snowplow, helicopter, panda, none of the above?

Tiger panda. Amy Chua intersected with Adele Faber.

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We know you are a foodie, both as a cook and as a consumer. What are your favorite Asian dishes these days? Favorite restaurants in any of the Chinatowns (not limited to NYC)?

One of our pandemic treats is ordering Peking duck at home. We also had to order dim sum and soup dumplings. Our apartment is right around the corner from Tim Ho Wan, which is dangerous and not too far from Pinch and Xi’an Famous Noodles. I still love Hwa Yuan too. When I go to Newport Beach to visit my brother-in-law, we do the two-hour wait for Din Tai Fung.

I have been missing Hong Kong egg cakes so I made them at home, and thinking about my grandmother’s homemade Lo Bok Gao. That’s next on my home cooking list.

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Favorite Asian American chef? Favorite Asian American entrepreneur? Favorite Asian American pop culture icon? Favorite Asian American author?

• Anita Lo
• Tony Hsieh
• Awkwafina
• David Henry Hwang (playwright)